10 jurisdictions had to have fee plans in place by Monday

Monday was the last day for 10 Maryland counties to figure out how to implement the stormwater management fee that's supposed to help clean up the bay, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation gave most of those jurisdictions a passing grade for the way they structured their fees.

Mother Nature has delivered a lot of rain lately, just in time for the so-called rain tax to go into effect. The fee is a state-mandated fee property owners must pay the city or county in which they live in order to pay for projects that keep toxic stormwater runoff from polluting the Chesapeake Bay.

"We feel that Baltimore and most of the counties have done a reasonable job meeting the requirements of this law," said Tom Zolper of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Each municipality had until Monday to come up with a plan for how to charge people. Most areas have decided to charge a flat fee or base it on the type or size of the property.

Frederick County is charging people a penny a year. Carroll County is not charging a fee at all because it said it can cover it with existing money. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation said it wonders if those counties will raise enough money to satisfy state cleanup standards.

"Our emphasis is that it helps the local government and the local fishermen or child wading in a creek. This is not just about the bay behind me. It is about everybody's backyard stream," Zolper said.

But the controversial fee still has citizens upset. Glen Burnie resident Joseph Delimater brought it up at an Anne Arundel County Council meeting, where council members voted to continue giving county workers merit-based bonuses.

"We're in an economy that's not doing very well. The state and the businesses in the county are leaving because of the property taxes and the rainwater taxes being so high. We're being taxed more and more and being asked for more and more," Delimater said.

In Anne Arundel County, residents will pay $85 per year for most single-family homes, while businesses will pay 25 percent of their property taxes. All of those fees will be phased in over three years.

In Baltimore County, most single-family homes will pay $39 per year, while commercial properties will pay $69 per year per 2,000 square feet. In Charles County, a $43 flat fee was implemented for all property owners.

There is a wide variety of fees across the state, and it is not uniform when exactly people will be billed for the fees. Those who want to know how much they will pay in their jurisdiction should contact their local government.

NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE --WWW.NCICAP.ORG-- GOOD EVENING. TODAY IS JULY 1 FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. THREE MORE DAYS UNTIL THE FOURTH OF JULY. ALSO THE START OF THE FISCAL YEAR. THE LAST DAY FOR MARYLAND COUNTY TO IMPLEMENT THE RAIN TAX. LIVE IN ANNAPOLIS WITH MORE ON HOW MUCH THAT CAN COST YOU, GEORGE? THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THE FEE THAT PROMISES TO CLEAN UP THE THEY EVENTUALLY. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE NOT WANTED TO TOUCH IT FOR YEARS. NOW, IT IS SAID THEY HAVE GOT TO. THEY GAVE MOST IF NOT ALL OF THESE 10 JURISDICTIONS PASSING GRADES IN THE WAY THEY ARE STRUCTURING THEIR FEES, NOW BEING PASSED TO CITIZENS. AS IF ON CUE, MOTHER NATURE HAS DELIVERED A LOT OF RAIN LATELY, TIME FOR THE SO-CALLED RAIN TAX TO GO INTO EFFECT. OFFICIALLY, IT IS CALLED THE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT FEE, A STATE MANAGEMENT -- MANDATED FEE IN ORDER TO PAY FOR PROJECTS THAT KEEP TOXIC STORM WATER RUNOFF FROM POLLUTING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY. EACH COUNTY HAD UNTIL TODAY TO COME UP WITH A PLAN FOR HOW MUCH TO CHARGE PEOPLE. MOST OF THE COUNTIES HAVE DONE A REASONABLE JOB. FREDERICK COUNTY IS CHARGING PEOPLE A PENNY A YEAR AND CARROLL COUNTY IS NOT CHARGING A FEE. IT SAYS IT CAN COVER IT WITH EXISTING MONEY. THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION WONDERS IF THOSE COUNTIES WILL RAISE ENOUGH MONEY TO SATISFY STATE CLEANUP STANDARDS. OUR EMPHASIS IS IT HELPS LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE LOCAL FISHERMEN OR CHILD WAITING IN A CREEK. THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE BAY BEHIND ME. IT IS ABOUT EVERYBODY'S BACKYARD STREAM. THE CONTROVERSIAL FEE HAS CITIZENS UPSET STILL. THIS WAS BROUGHT UP IN AN ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY MEETING WHERE THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO GIVE WORKERS MERIT BASED BONUSES. THE BUSINESSES IN THE COUNTY ARE LEAVING BECAUSE OF THE PROCESS -- PROPERTY TAXES AND THE RAINWATER TAXES BEING SO I. WE WILL BE TAXED MORE AND MORE. HOW MUCH WILL THE PEOPLE BE CHARGED -- PROPERTY OWNERS? YOU WILL PAY $85 FOR MOST SINGLE- FAMILY HOMES. IS THIS IS WILL PLAY -- PAY 25% OF THEIR PROPERTY TAXES. AS FOR BALTIMORE COUNTY, $39 PER SINGLE-FAMILY HOME. COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES WILL PAY $69 PER 2000 SQUARE FEET OF THAT PROPERTY, AND, FOR GOOD MEASURE , THE VARIETY OF THESE FEES, CHARLES COUNTY, WILL CHARGE A $43 FLAT FEE FOR ALL PROPERTY OWNERS. YOU CAN TELL THERE IS A WIDE VARIETY OF FEES ACROSS THE STATE. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH YOU WILL PAY, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT. IT IS NOT UNIFORM WHEN EXACTLY